By Charles McNeilly, Mayor
Welcome to my City of Rockaway Beach Monthly Update with a look back at the month of May 2026.
The city’s Spring Newsletter was mailed to our water/sewer customers and is available on our city website.
The Budget Committee approved the fiscal year 2026–2027 budget. I recommend you read City Manager Luke Shepard’s Budget Message (pages 6-12), if not the entire budget. It tells the story of the next year for your city. City Council will have another opportunity to review the budget at their regular June meeting, when the city will hold a public hearing and consider adoption.
The Old Growth Boardwalk continues to be a point of pride for all of us in Rockaway Beach as it continues to attract locals and visitors alike to experience the peaceful walk through a pristine forest. The Oregon boardwalk trail that takes you through a forest most people think is private property. Your city’s investments in tourism infrastructure continues to pay off by attracting visitors in support of local businesses.
Despite the rainy weather, the Memorial Day service at the Wayside went smoothly. The Coast Guard, Veteran Affairs Coordinator Todd Grosse, Father Akuti, and I participated with Rick Cheek serving as emcee. About forty people attended, and the Fire Department’s ladder truck and crew were also present. Thank you to everyone who helped make this ceremony a success as we honored those who gave their lives serving our country. Special thanks to Public Works Director Mertz for coordinating the event this year, and to Public Works for providing chairs and canopies.
Other highlights for May include:
- City working to expand number of parking spaces available for visitors (see City Hall section)
- NCRD planning a summer youth program in Rockaway Beach (see City Hall section)
- City Council approved the Planning Commission’s recommendations for the Large Community Grant Program, bringing this year’s total community grant awards to $75,000 (see City Council section).
- Emergency Preparedness will be upgrading Tsunami evacuation routes in the city (see Emergency Preparedness section).
Upcoming Events
Emergency Management training — CERT class on disaster assessment and triage will be held on Wednesday, June 3rd at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall.
City Hall Closed for Juneteenth on Friday, June 19th.
The Coffee with the Mayor and City Manager is Thursday, June 25th at 9:00 am in the City Hall 2nd Floor Conference Room.
CITY HALL
You might have noticed workers wearing high-visibility vests with the company name “Jacobs.” These individuals are surveyors working on behalf of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). ODOT has begun its planning phase for a project that will eventually lead to the replacement of the curb ramps in our downtown area. The current ramps no longer meet the latest ADA standards, so this work will help ensure greater accessibility for all.
The North County Recreation District (NCRD) is interested in running a pilot summer youth program in Rockaway Beach this summer. NCRD is proposing an eight-week program from July 6th to August 28th for up to twenty children aged 6 to 12 who live in Rockaway Beach. The program will provide full-day summer care Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. NCRD is in discussions with the Neah-Kah-Nie School District about using District facilities.
Director Mertz and City Manager Shepard met with representatives of the Port of Tillamook Bay, State Parks, and the Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad to begin discussions about the city’s interest in leasing additional property within the port right-of-way to expand and improve parking in downtown Rockaway Beach. This narrow strip of land, which runs adjacent to Highway 101 and falls under the Port of Tillamook Bay’s authority, is in high demand and already includes several existing long-term leases and easements with various organizations. While the city does not control how the property is used, our goal is to negotiate a lease that maximizes opportunities for additional parking and streetscape improvements downtown.
Director Mertz and City Manager Shepard held a kickoff meeting with our engineer to discuss parking improvements and expansion in the downtown core. We will continue working with HBH Engineering over the next few months to develop a scope of work. From the outset, we want to be clear that this will be a challenging project, shaped by site constraints and the policies of the agencies with authority over the project area. Our first and most important task is to determine what is feasible. I am excited that our city is focused on expanding the number of parking spaces and making our city more attractive as visitors arrive.
FIRE AND RESCUE DEPARTMENT
The Fire Department is beginning a Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis, with a kickoff meeting scheduled with SSW Consulting to define the project scope. A workshop with career staff and volunteers is also scheduled for mid-June. This process will help identify the department’s strengths, key challenges, and opportunities for improvement as we continue working to provide the highest level of service for the community.
Chief Hesse attended the Oregon Fire Chiefs Conference, where sessions focused on personnel management, safety, mental health, recruitment and retention, and legislative issues. The conference also provided valuable networking opportunities and exposure to innovative ideas and resources that may benefit the department.
Recent incidents have been complex and have highlighted elevated risks to responder safety. As such, the Fire Department is reviewing procedures for entering potentially hazardous scenes and reinforcing best practices. The safety of our crew remains our highest priority.
Memorial weekend and the start of the summer season brought a surge in activity, with the Department responding to ten emergency calls, educating beach visitors, extinguishing several unattended campfires, and more.
Fire Department run report May 2026:
911 calls for Service: 50 Trainings: 12 Non-Emergent: 41
33- Medical Vehicle Fires 22- Beach Safety
7- Fire Alarm Wildland Fires 2- Public Assist
2- Structure Fire EMS 4- Lift Assist
0- Water Rescue Fire 1 Skills 9- Burn Complaints
3- MVA EMR Class 4- Radio call-ins
4- Outside Fire 0- Special Assignments
1-Haz-Mat
Year to Date 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
911 Calls 124 137 103 158 129
Non-Emergent 53 71 63 63 86
Trainings 48 43 51 48 22
Total 225 251 217 269 237
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
Chief Hesse and Captain Grace recently met with representatives from Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) to discuss evacuation routes in the event of a Cascadia subduction zone earthquake. The discussion was productive and raised several questions regarding the most effective routes. At the conclusion of the meeting, all agreed that an on-site walk-through is needed. We are coordinating with DOGAMI to schedule a site visit to review recommended routes and signage locations.
The quarterly Emergency Preparedness meeting was held on Wednesday, May 6th. The focus was wildfire preparedness. Chief Hesse and guests from the Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office shared information on potential wildfire threats, defensible space, home hardening, and evacuation readiness. A recording of the presentation will be available on the Fire Department page of the city website.
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
The project to modernize existing land-use policies and update local regulations affecting residential development continues. Cascadia Partners is currently auditing the code in preparation to bring the project to the Planning Commission. These updates will ensure compliance with State housing laws, address permitting and land use barriers, and support housing production, affordability, and choice. The preliminary findings are expected to be presented at the July Planning Commission meeting.
Planner Tapia attended a Managing Floodplain Development course through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) training program. The course was taught by Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) staff and other instructors from across the country who are skilled in floodplain management. This training was a fantastic opportunity for our City Planner to dive deep into floodplain issues in anticipation of upcoming zoning code updates for the Flood Hazard Overlay (FHO) zone.
Planner Tapia attended the recurring City/County Monthly Coordination meeting, where cities across the county meet with the County’s Department of Community Development. At this meeting, Sean Edging, a Senior Housing Planner at DLCD, discussed legislative changes that impact housing laws and how cities implement statewide planning goal 10: Housing.
PUBLIC WORKS
The Nedonna Beach watermain upgrades are continuing near schedule. There are currently two boring crews on site – one putting in services and another working on the main. Together, these crews are making quick progress. The city has received calls from residents in the project area who have noted that the roads are kicking up more dust than normal – to alleviate this, our contractor will water down the roads twice per day.
Public Works Superintendent Emerson and Director Mertz met with property owners near Clear Lake to discuss the sediment infill of the lake and the impact that it is having on the neighborhood. Public Works staff explained how Clear Lake serves as part of the City’s drainage system, as well as a pivotal part of the larger Rockaway Beach watershed. The property owners were surprised to learn how the City’s storm drainage system functions, role Clear Lake plays and the impacts it has on flooding in the Coral Street/South 2nd neighborhood. Homeowners were encouraged to attend the strategic planning sessions later this year to share their ideas for Clear Lake and were provided with a copy of the Stormwater Feasibility Study to learn more about how the storm drainage system works.
Public Works Director Mertz met with the development team for the Lake Lytle Estate neighborhood. The Developers submitted the development fee and plans for consideration. The plans were sent to the city’s engineers for review. This proposal is to build eighty-five new homes in Rockaway Beach.
Director Mertz submitted a Letter of Interest (LOI) to Travel Oregon’s Competitive Grant, seeking funding for a floating boardwalk at Lake Lytle. We will be notified by June 10th if we are eligible to submit a grant application.
Most of the Public Works department attended Oregon Association of Water Utilities (OAWU) continuing education classes hosted by the City of Tillamook, covering water and wastewater operations, safety, leak detection, operator math, pumps, emergency response, and inspection preparation ahead of the water plant inspection later this year.
Public Works addressed numerous maintenance, construction, and community service tasks across the city. Crews responded to water leaks, continued work on the sewer plant upgrades (with the trickle filter operational now and pump installation nearly finished), and managed ongoing issues at the 17th Street lift station while awaiting a new pump. They also supported county paving work, ordered new traffic signage, and completed a wide range of projects including street paving, boardwalk repairs, wastewater equipment fixes, utility work, and park improvements. In addition, staff handled routine duties such as system maintenance, inspections, customer service, permits, and general upkeep of public spaces.
CITY COUNCIL
The May City Council Workshop covered the following:
- An update on the accessible short-term rental program that City Planner Tapia has been developing with Becoming RentABLE. The program aims to identify licensed short-term rentals in Rockaway Beach that meet baseline accessibility standards and encourage them to join Becoming RentABLE, where they can be promoted nationwide.
- Large Community Grant Application Review.
- Discussed draft master fee schedule and reviewed ordinances amending code related to fees.
- Review of City Charter Draft Amendment Public Comments.
The May City Council Regular Meeting approved the Planning Commission’s recommendations for the Large Community Grant Program, bringing this year’s total community grant awards to $75,000.
| Recipient & Event/Project: | Grant Amount: |
| Meals for Seniors
Food for Seniors |
$ 19,934.82 |
| Hope Chest Thrift Store
Blinds, Counter removal, covert bathroom to sales room |
$ 9,360.69 |
| Neah-Kah-Nie Coast Arts Music & Cultural Foundation (NCAM)
Rockaway Beach Music Festival |
$ 19,934.82 |
| Rockaway Beach Business Association
Community Events Support |
$ 8,973.67 |
If any of the Council activities listed for May are of interest, you can read the meeting materials and view recordings of all Council meetings (except Executive Sessions) on the city website Rockaway Beach Meeting Agendas & Minutes page.
PLANNING COMMISSION
At May’s Planning Commission meeting, Planner Tapia led a discussion on proposed updates to the City’s Community Grant Program for next year’s grant cycle. These proposed changes grew out of the Commission’s discussion in April. The most substantial update would combine both small and large community grant programs into one community grant program. Another recommendation would allow applicants to present their proposals to the Planning Commission before applications are scored, giving the Commission an opportunity to hear directly from applicants and ask clarifying questions. A new scoring criterion was recommended to better measure how well applications align with the program’s funding priorities. The proposed changes will be discussed at an upcoming City Council Workshop.
City Planner Tapia gave his monthly Planning Department report which highlighted several ongoing initiatives, including work with Cascadia Partners to modernize the City’s Comprehensive Plan, Zoning Ordinance, and Subdivision Ordinance to support housing and comply with state law; participation in the second phase of Senate Bill 406 (middle housing) with Tillamook County to prepare a housing needs analysis, buildable lands inventory, and land use efficiency measures; and planned updates to the City’s flood hazard overlay regulations to meet National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and state standards, with proposed changes expected in August.
If any of the Planning Commission activities listed for May are of interest, you can read the meeting materials and view recordings of all Planning Commission meetings on the city website Rockaway Beach Meeting Agendas & Minutes page.
RURAL TOURISM PARTNERS
Watch for Willamette Living Magazine feature article on Rockaway Beach food scene; the article will be published (print and online) in June 2026.
City Manager Shepard and Mayor McNeilly are being interviewed for an article in Oregon Business Journal on the city’s support for local businesses.
KEY DATES IN JUNE FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Meetings
The City Council Workshop is on Wednesday, June 10th at 4:30 pm in the City Hall 2nd Floor Conference Room followed by the City Council Regular Meeting at 6:00 pm downstairs in the City Hall Council Room.
The Planning Commission meeting is on Thursday, June 18th at 5:00 pm in the City Hall Council Room.
We offer in-person and virtual options for attending all our public meetings. Meetings are recorded so they are available for viewing at your convenience. Agendas and packets are available on our city website. Sign up for our city email list on our city website to have meeting packets sent to you automatically.
Please stay informed and engaged!
The most efficient way to keep up to date with your city government is to add your email address to the city’s email list through the city’s website submission form.
If you have ideas to share; questions or concerns about what is going on in the City of Rockaway Beach, please email me at cmcneilly@corb.us.
